Rams girls shake off slow start to beat Globe

The Maricopa High School girls basketball team was supposed to take the court against Globe High School at 7 p.m. Tuesday night. But thanks to a nasty winter storm that prevented the Tigers from traveling to Maricopa on Tuesday, tip-off for the game came nearly 24 hours later.

Like the game’s overall delay, the Rams found themselves starting slow from an unusual malaise that plagued them the first three quarters of play. And like a bad cold, the Tigers were not easily shaken.

But the Rams recovered in time to beat Globe 51-41 on Wednesday. Julia Dickerson played a solid game, scoring a matching double-double with 16 points and rebounds. Amanda Hamm and Erin Litchfield chipped in with 11 points and five rebounds each.

Winning the opening tip-off, the Rams were actually able to jump out to an early game lead. But the Tigers were constantly on their heals, matching them shot for shot through the first quarter. Scoring half of her points in the opening quarter, Dickerson showed some dominance inside the paint, yet the entire team seemed to lack any fire, especially on defense. At the end of the first quarter, the score was knotted at 14.

If the first quarter was slow-paced, the second could be described as nearly unmoving. The Rams couldn’t make anything happen offensively, failing to make shots even from inside the paint. At one point, center Dee Streety pulled down three of her nine rebounds on consecutive missed shots. Making matters worse, the Tigers, who were playing only six deep, were content to slow the game down as much as possible, and to shoot only when they could do so uncontested.

Neither team was able to score until over halfway through the quarter. The Rams were only able to muster seven points in the entire quarter, three of which were scored on a buzzer-beater by Litchfield to give the Rams a halftime lead of 21-20.

The pace began to pick up when the Rams took the court after the break. Brittany Parks has two quick steals to help push the defensive action. But the team couldn’t convert those opportunities into points, as they continued to be cold from the floor.

Again, Globe forced the Rams into playing a style that better suited the Tigers, and they took the lead with 18 seconds remaining in the quarter. Fortunately for the Rams, Litchfield beat the buzzer again with a shot, giving the Rams a 29-28 lead going into the final quarter of play.

Early in the fourth, Parks was fouled hard as she drove to the basket. This seemed to ignite some fire under the Rams, as they began to play more earnestly on defense and to push the action more than they had throughout the game. They also began to pass the ball more crisply and pulled away from Globe for the win.

After the game, coach Jen Miller was uncertain why her team started off so slowly.

“I’m not sure what it was,” Miller said. “The girls were really up to play Globe yesterday. But even today they didn’t know if they were going to be able to make the trip. It was a lot of little things that just added to us coming out flat tonight.”

She said that this sort of lackadaisical play may not be so easily overcome next time, and definitely not in the playoffs.

The win brings the overall record for the Rams to 19-2, 13-0 in 3A South Region play. The final game of the regular season will be played at Maricopa at 7 p.m. Friday against Fountain Hills. The game will be preceded by ceremonies honoring all the senior players.

Photo by David Vargas